Alberta student loans

Alberta student aid is available to Alberta residents using the criteria outlined below.

Resources, guides and worksheets

Applying for a student loan

Alberta residents can apply for full-time and part-time funding through Alberta Student Aid. You only need to complete one online application to be considered for all available provincial and federal funding. Applications for the upcoming academic year open in June. They can take up to six weeks to process.

Alberta Student Aid and the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program calculate your eligibility using a financial need formula comparing your costs with your resources. The formula is:

Education and living costs minus what you contribute = your financial need

On this page

Full-time loans

  • Apply for full-time loans through your online Alberta.ca account through Alberta Student Aid. You can check the status of your application through your account. Your lender will review your application.
  • The Student Financial Support can confirm approved loans as early as 30 days before the loan is paid out. For us to complete the confirmation of enrolment, you must be enrolled in full-time studies for all terms of your loan application period.
  • After we’ve completed your confirmation of enrolment, Alberta Student Aid will release your funding directly to your personal bank account. It should arrive within 10 business days.

Part-time loans

  • Apply for part-time loans by downloading a paper application from the Alberta Student Aid Applications and Forms page. Enrolment Services completes Section 5 of the application. Your application can be filled out and added as an attachment in a service request through your Student Centre. Please indicate which term(s) you would like reflected on the application in the service request. 

    How to create a new service request guide (PDF)

  • After we complete your confirmation of enrolment, National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) will release your funding directly to your personal bank account. It will arrive within 10 business days.

Students with permanent disabilities

If you're a student with a permanent disability, please reach out to Student Accessibility Services to have them fill out a Schedule 4 form as you may be eligible for certain grants. Visit the Alberta Student Aid website for more information about this process.

Changes to your application

You can log in to your Alberta Student Aid account to revise or cancel your application.

Note: If you receive funding, you must upload an electronic document from the Registrar’s Office that confirms your program details.

Request for review

We recommend you report changes to Alberta Student Aid if your circumstances change after you’ve been approved for funding. Do so by submitting a Request for Review through your Alberta Student Aid account.

You should report changes in:

  • Personal information (marital status, legal name)
  • Number of dependent children
  • Monthly costs/resources

UCalgary must report any changes to your course load that may affect your eligibility for funding to your loan lender. If your confirmation status is ever at risk, you'll receive an email that will be visible in your Student Centre.